These are the website questions Cirrus Design Studio is asked most often, from what a new website costs and how long it takes to build, to choosing between Wix and bespoke, SEO, accessibility, hosting and support. If your question isn't here, call us on 01202 028 608 or send us a message.
We are a digital agency in Poole, Dorset, working with businesses across the UK. Every answer below comes from the projects we run every day, so you get the same straight answers you would hear in a first meeting with our team. They cover websites for small businesses, growing companies and organisations replacing older systems, and we add new questions as clients ask them.
The website questions we're asked most
What does Cirrus Design Studio do?
Cirrus Design Studio is a digital agency in Poole, Dorset, that designs and builds websites, bespoke cloud-based business systems and digital marketing campaigns for UK businesses. We also convert ageing legacy software, such as Microsoft Access and VB6 systems, into modern web-based systems, and we build websites on our own bespoke content management system, Hydra CMS.
See all our services.
Where is Cirrus Design Studio based, and do you work with businesses outside Dorset?
Cirrus Design Studio is based Poole, Dorset, and works with businesses across the UK. We serve Dorset, Devon, Hampshire, Somerset, Cornwall and Wiltshire, and the rest of the UK, with most projects run by video call, email and phone wherever you are.
How much does a new website cost?
The cost of a website from Cirrus Design Studio depends on its size, features and the route you choose: a WIX Studio site, our AI-powered CMS route or a fully bespoke build. After a free consultation we give you a clear, fixed quote, so you know the full cost before any work starts.
How long does it take to build a website?
A straightforward business website from Cirrus Design Studio typically takes four to six weeks from brief to launch. On our AI-powered CMS route, some sites can be live within two to three weeks, depending on scope. Every quote includes a clear timeline.
More on website design and development.
Should my website be built on Wix, Hydra CMS or fully bespoke?
It depends on what your business needs, and Cirrus Design Studio will recommend the right route honestly at your first consultation. Wix Studio suits businesses that want a strong, easy-to-manage platform; Hydra CMS suits sites that need a fully bespoke design, tighter control of data and hosting, or links to your own systems; and a fully bespoke build suits complex or highly specific requirements.
Compare the routes on our website design page.
What is a WIX Legend Partner?
WIX Legend Partner is one of the top tiers of Wix's partner programme, awarded to agencies with a long, proven record of building successful Wix websites for their clients. Cirrus Design Studio is a WIX Legend Partner and a certified Wix Studio Expert Developer, one of only a few in the UK.
See our website portfolio.
What is Hydra CMS?
Hydra is Cirrus Design Studio's own bespoke content management system (CMS), the software you use to edit your website. It has no third-party plugins, updates itself overnight, records every change in an audit log and includes SEO checks on every page, so your website stays fast, secure and easy to manage.
Find out more about Hydra CMS.
Will my website work on mobile phones?
Yes. Every website Cirrus Design Studio builds is designed mobile first and tested on phones, tablets and desktops before launch. Most visitors now arrive on a phone, and Google ranks websites by their mobile version, so mobile is the starting point of every project, not an add-on.
Can I update my website myself?
Yes. Every website Cirrus Design Studio builds can be edited by you and your team without technical skills. If you can write an email and attach a photo, you can update pages, news articles and images, and we provide guidance and support whenever you need it.
Do you write the content for my website?
Yes, Cirrus Design Studio can research, write and structure your website content. On our AI-powered CMS route, content creation is built in from day one: AI helps research and draft it, then we review and refine every word with you before anything is built.
Do you provide SEO, and how long does SEO take to work?
Yes. Cirrus Design Studio is a Google Partner and builds search engine optimisation (SEO) into every website, from page titles and structured data to speed and mobile design. Organic SEO typically takes three to six months to show meaningful results, so many businesses combine it with Google Ads while their rankings grow.
More on digital marketing and SEO.
Can you manage Google Ads for my business?
Yes. As a Google Partner, Cirrus Design Studio plans and manages Google Ads campaigns for businesses at a range of budgets. Paid search can bring visitors from the first day, and campaigns typically take two to three months to fully optimise. A free marketing review shows what your budget can realistically achieve.
Is my website accessible to disabled visitors?
Cirrus Design Studio aims to build every website to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at level AA. That means readable colour contrast, full keyboard access, meaningful alt text, clear forms and layouts that work at high zoom, which also helps your search rankings and your duties under the Equality Act 2010.
Where are my website and data hosted?
Bespoke business systems and Hydra websites built by Cirrus Design Studio are hosted on UK-based cloud infrastructure, so your data stays in the UK and is never shared with third parties. Wix websites are hosted on Wix's own secure global platform. Cirrus Design Studio is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
Who looks after website updates and security?
Cirrus Design Studio does. Hydra websites update themselves overnight and report anything that needs our attention, and there are no plugins for you to keep up to date. Bespoke systems are clean-coded without third-party plugins, which removes one of the most common causes of hacked websites.
Do you offer support after my website goes live?
Yes. Cirrus Design Studio provides ongoing support and maintenance for every website and system it builds. You deal directly with the same team that built it, not a ticket queue, and we can add new features as your business grows.
Will I lose my Google rankings if I redesign my website?
Not if the move is planned properly. When Cirrus Design Studio replaces a website, we map every old web address to its new page with permanent 301 redirects, carry over page titles and descriptions, and resubmit the sitemap to Google and Bing, so visitors and search engines land in the right place and your rankings carry across.
Can you replace our old Access, VB6 or legacy business software?
Yes. Cirrus Design Studio specialises in legacy system conversion: we move ageing Microsoft Access databases, VB6 applications and outdated bespoke software to secure, cloud-based web systems. Every historic record is migrated, the old and new systems can run side by side until your team is ready, and missing source code is usually not a problem.
More on legacy system conversion.
What is bespoke business software, and is it worth it?
Bespoke business software is a system built around how your business actually works, rather than off-the-shelf software you have to work around. A bespoke system from Cirrus Design Studio usually costs more upfront, but with no per-user fees and a predictable maintenance cost it is often cheaper over three to five years, and it grows with you.
Read why bespoke.
How do I get started with Cirrus Design Studio?
Book a free, no-obligation consultation or systems review through our contact page, or call us on 01202 028 608. Cirrus Design Studio aims to reply to every enquiry within one working day, then we talk through what you need and give you an honest recommendation and a clear quote.
Who answers your website questions
Cirrus Design Studio brings website design, bespoke software and digital marketing together under one roof, so one team can answer questions that would otherwise go to three different suppliers:
- Website design and development, on Wix Studio as a WIX Legend Partner, on our own Hydra CMS or fully bespoke.
- Bespoke cloud business systems built around how your business works, hosted in the UK.
- Google Partner digital marketing: SEO, Google Ads and the analytics to show what is working.
- Legacy system conversion for ageing Access, VB6 and bespoke software.
Whichever route suits you, every website we build is mobile first, built for search engines and designed to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at level AA. See examples in our portfolio and case studies, or read what clients say in our reviews.
Still have a question?
We aim to reply to every enquiry within one working day, with an honest answer and no sales pitch. Tell us what you are planning and we will point you in the right direction, even if that means a simpler option than you expected.